Colin's Teacher (Seeking Follow-up Reads, Bookmarks, and Recommendations!)

Chapter Nine

"Teacher."

Standing before the courtyard surrounded by flowers, Colin did not enter rashly. Instead, he called out softly.

Lynn stood to the side, still studying the small courtyard, when he suddenly saw the flowers around them begin to sway gently.

There was clearly not a breath of wind, yet the flowers trembled faintly as though they had come alive, as if responding to Colin's call.

After several breaths, the flowers swayed again. This time, a gentle female voice came from them:

"Come in, Colin. And the little one beside you."

Only after receiving a response did Colin step into the courtyard. Lynn naturally did not dare delay and hurriedly followed behind him.

After crossing the courtyard, they soon entered the first-floor hall.

The hall was brightly lit by sunlight, and the air carried a faint floral fragrance. The carefully arranged flowers gave the place an especially elegant air.

Amid the warm, gentle sunlight, a woman in wizard robes stood among the flowers, watering them with a watering can.

The woman looked only a little over thirty. She had a graceful figure, loose golden hair draped over her shoulders, and an air of intelligence and elegance between her brows.

A faint smile rested on her lips at all times, giving her the illusion of gentleness.

She looked nothing like the image of a Dark Wizard Lynn had imagined.

Hearing their footsteps, the woman raised her head. Her azure eyes were as deep and captivating as the sea.

She looked at Colin and smiled faintly. "What brings you to your teacher's place? And this little one is...?"

"Teacher, this is a new apprentice who just passed the assessment. He's a 'complete newcomer'! I think he should meet your requirements."

Colin scratched his head and grinned as he walked over to the woman's side, bending down to speak softly.

Lynn, meanwhile, stood cautiously where he was, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.

He understood that the gentle, intellectual-looking woman before him was anything but simple.

As one of the Dark Wizards, her gentle exterior was likely only a facade. Her true strength and methods were far beyond anything he could guess.

"Hm?" The woman frowned slightly, seemingly puzzled. "When did the Furnace launch a war? Has it already reached the point where it needs to recruit apprentices on a large scale?"

"Not yet, Teacher."

Colin hurriedly shook his head and explained, "This assessment wasn't for recruiting people for the Furnace War. This 'complete newcomer' fought his way out of a group of well-connected candidates. He's definitely clever, and his strength isn't bad either."

"Oh?"

The woman drew out the word as her gaze returned to Lynn. Those azure eyes seemed able to see through everything, carrying a trace of amusement.

Clearly, she was quite interested in Lynn's ability to fight his way through an assessment filled with well-connected candidates.

"Since that's the case." The woman nodded, then looked at Colin again and asked softly, "But did you explain things clearly to this little one?"

"I did, I did."

Colin hurriedly lowered his head, though he still looked somewhat guilty. His voice dropped a little. "No matter what, he'll agree."

The woman glanced at Colin indifferently. Her gaze seemed to see through his thoughts, making him lower his head even further.

Then she turned to Lynn, revealing a calm smile as she asked evenly, "Is that so?"

The woman's gaze settled on Lynn. Her azure eyes were so bright they seemed capable of stealing one's soul, and paired with her flawless face, they carried an oppressive aura that inspired awe.

Lynn's heart tightened. Not daring to meet her eyes, he hurriedly lowered his head and said:

"Yes, sir. Lord Colin already explained it to me."

"Honestly, always trying to be clever."

The woman chuckled and tapped Colin on the forehead with a slender finger, her expression carrying both helplessness and indulgence.

Then she turned to Lynn, her expression becoming slightly more serious.

"Little one, you're a complete newcomer, so I'll make this simple and clear."

She paused slightly before continuing:

"I need a talented complete newcomer to take me as their teacher. But what I teach differs from other wizards—after becoming my apprentice, you may find that for a long time, you won't have the ability to fight other Wizard Apprentices. In a place like the Furnace, that could be very dangerous. Are you sure you want to take me as your teacher?"

She paused, gazed deeply at Lynn, and added:

"If you've truly thought it through, we'll proceed with the assessment. Otherwise, don't waste each other's time."

"No ability to fight?"

Hearing that, Lynn recalled Colin's earlier joke: "I can't beat the person backing them, so I can't help you."

He had thought Colin was merely being modest.

But now, it seemed that with this wizard being so frank about it, the words were probably true.

In the Furnace of the Dark Wizards, lacking combat ability was obviously not a good thing.

But for Lynn, he had no room to choose at the moment.

Taking a wizard as one's teacher was no easy matter within the Furnace.

Even those others who had passed the assessment, though assigned to different departments, rarely had the chance to receive direct instruction from a wizard.

Moreover, Lynn knew very well that following this wizard might bring danger in the future, but that danger was still far away.

If he rejected this opportunity, then once Russell's backer found him, he would die immediately.

By comparison, this wizard's proposal was undoubtedly his only hope of surviving.

Lynn did not hesitate. He raised his head and said firmly:

"Yes, ma'am. I've thought it through."

The woman did not seem surprised by his answer. She smiled faintly and said:

"Very well. Then let's begin the assessment. Relax a little. Do you see this flower?"

Her voice was gentle and even, yet it contained some strange magic that made Lynn feel dazed, his mind growing heavy and muddled.

Even as a First-Level Wizard Apprentice, before a true wizard, he was still as helpless as a child.

From Colin's perspective, the wooden floor beneath Lynn's feet began to change.

Flowers of every color quietly sprouted from the previously flat floorboards. They came in all varieties, as though brimming with the spirit of life.

The flowers swayed gently, as if they possessed wills of their own. They climbed and spread over Lynn's body, soon wrapping him completely.

Lynn was enveloped in a structure like a cocoon of flowers. Floral fragrance lingered around him, and the air was filled with an eerie yet intoxicating scent.

The beautiful teacher raised her head slightly at that moment, tapping her jade-like finger lightly against her chin as she said thoughtfully:

"His aptitude is... above average. That makes sense. Apprentices with truly exceptional aptitude are sent directly to the upper levels during the Furnace's initial screening. Passing through at all is already pretty good."

She raised an eyebrow slightly, as though remembering something, and her gaze fell upon Lynn.

"Hm? A First-Level Wizard Apprentice? Is he really a complete newcomer? Let me see..."

The moment her words fell, several deep ripples appeared in the woman's eyes, as though an invisible force had pierced through Lynn's memories.

Lynn felt a faint stab of pain in his head, but it quickly subsided.

He did not know that his surface memories were being rapidly browsed by the wizard.

From childhood until now, scenes from Lynn's life flashed past at high speed.

Of course, only the very surface layer of his memories was being viewed.

Much information buried deep within his heart remained undiscovered. Even an Official Wizard could not read all of Lynn's memories from afar without casting a spell.

But there was no need for that. The beautiful wizard merely wanted to take a quick look.

"Hm... you really have never had any contact with the wizarding world." There was a trace of puzzlement in the beautiful teacher's voice. "It seems you're either extraordinarily gifted, or you once encountered some sort of special opportunity."

There was a faint new interest in her eyes as she added:

"However, aptitude is only the foundation. There is one final and most important test—seed affinity."

With that, she raised her hand. Her slender, delicate fingers should have inspired tenderness, but at that moment, their tips began to undergo a strange transformation.

The soft pink skin was gradually replaced by emerald-green vines. The vines coiled and intertwined as though alive, eventually forming a circular disc.

Inside the disc, over a hundred seeds were arranged neatly, each emitting faint energy fluctuations.

"Hm?"

The beautiful teacher looked down at the disc. Her expression had initially been calm and composed, but surprise soon appeared on her face. "They reacted? Wait... how is that possible? Every seed reacted?"

Her eyes suddenly widened, and shock and disbelief filled her azure pupils.

Even a wizard like her could not conceal her inner astonishment.